Some of the biggest names in finance are quietly preparing to do battle over elections this year.

Notable on the right is billionaire hedge fund manager Paul Singer,
who's leading fellow conservative financial industry honchos to help win
a Republican majority in the U.S. Senate and more broadly influence
issues that could include gay rights, immigration reform and U.S.-Israel
policy.

A prominent early mover on the left is billionaire Tom
Steyer, the founder of hedge fund firm Farallon Capital Management who
is now an environmentalist. Steyer plans to spend $100 million or more to shape elections around fighting climate change.

Conservative fundraising, usually dominated by the Koch brothers,
appears to now have a second figurehead in the more libertarian Singer.

Together, they've contributed $579,800 to the nascent political group
and supported Republican Senate hopefuls Tom Cotton in Arkansas, Steve
Daines in Montana and Dan Sullivan in Alaska, according to the
disclosures. The GOP is likely to control both houses of Congress if it
can gain six more seats in the Senate this fall; elections in Arkansas,
Montana and Alaska are all tight.

Those candidates are among
the politicians expected at a private Colorado retreat in late February
organized by the American Opportunity Alliance, another new
Singer-backed group that will parallel the Senate committee, according to Politico. The event is also expected to feature House Speaker John Boehner and New Hampshire Senator Kelly Ayotte.

Singer has previously teamed with fellow hedge funder Dan Loeb of
Third Point to host events benefiting gay rights and featuring New
Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

Representatives for Singer, Friends for an American Majority and Loeb did not respond to requests for comment.

Also on the conservative side is TD Ameritrade
founder Joe Ricketts. Ricketts backs Singer's efforts, but his own
national debt-focused group, Ending Spending, is also playing in Senate
races.

The group has also endorsed Cotton, Daines and Sullivan;
run ads against Democratic New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen; and is
likely to target other tight Senate races such as in Oregon and
Minnesota.

"Ending Spending plans to educate voters across the
country about the records of those senators who gave us bigger
government, more debt and bad policies like Obamacare," said Brian
Baker, president of Ending Spending.

Climate change-focused Steyer is also attempting to form a coalition around the midterm elections.

Steyer recently met with wealthy environmental-minded donors in New
York City and at his ranch in Pescadero, Calif. in an attempt to raise
$50 million to match the $50 million of his own capital devoted to the
cause.

Steyer's group, NextGen Climate Action, plans to
continue its multi-pronged efforts that include advertisements against
candidates deemed unfriendly to the environment; financial support for
politicians working on global warming; and other public advocacy around
issues such as blocking the Keystone XL oil pipeline. Unlike Singer,
Steyer is working virtually full time on the advocacy.

Steyer's group is already seeking to derail Republican Rick Scott in
his bid for reelection as governor of Florida and support Bruce Braley, a
Democratic Senate candidate in Iowa, based on their climate change
positions, according to The New YorkTimes. A spokesman for Steyer confirmed the Times' account but couldn't immediately offer further comment.

Steyer's Next Generation and Singer's Elliott aren't the only
financial industry groups putting big money into the election.

Others in
the top 25 include mega-banks Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, private equity firms Blackstone Group
and Bain Capital; and hedge funds Renaissance Technologies and SAB
Capital Management, according to new data from the Center for Responsive
Politics.

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